Love at First Visit

by Bonnie, Glen & Justin Anderson

​We have owned our La Luz unit for over 30 years. After extensive travel in the U.S. and abroad, we discovered New Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley in the early 1990s. It was "Love at First Visit". The beauty of the scenery, vibrant color, the sky, the geography and the people were breathtaking for us.

We had some friends in Michigan that had a place in New Mexico so we learned about La Luz through that connection. For us, La Luz captured all the beautiful and unique parts of New Mexico. We knew we wanted to have a home in this community. La Luz was magical, beautiful, and spiritual. The architecture, open space, unit construction, and views are special and one of a kind. We saw a cluster home development that offered privacy and a quiet, natural setting. So, on July 27,1993, we purchased #2 Pool.

As we were still involved with our work careers and living out of state, we visited often and began learning about the local culture and the many historical and unusual points of interest at La Luz, around Albuquerque, and all over New Mexico. Our connection grew stronger, and our love for this place continued to increase.

Regarding La Luz, we learned about the many advanced concepts introduced by the original architect, Antoine Predock, and the developer Ray Graham. Energy saving ideas, water conservation, new concepts for roads and paths, natural open spaces, and unique housing layouts that allowed for social interaction and privacy. These concepts were unusual and creative. We had not seen anything like it.

As members of the environmental protection community, we immediately connected to the Development Principal at La Luz: Respect for the Land.

Over the years, we have interacted with many La Luz residents. Many residents have come from far and wide parts of the U.S. and beyond. Like us, many have been attracted by the unique charm of La Luz.

The La Luz resident community represents a wonderful diversity of many cultures and a wide range of professional backgrounds and experience.

Residents include artists, published writers, musicians, educators, business owners, doctors, lawyers, engineers and administrators. Yet, no single social or economic group predominates. Residents own their living units and have shared ownership in other areas of the development that are used by everyone. This joint ownership of common areas requires that we work together to maintain and protect these areas for the enjoyment of everyone. Most of the management of this work is done on a volunteer basis which provides the opportunity to meet and get to know our neighbors and have a direct voice in plans and decisions.

Over the years, our love for being part of this community has been constant. We feel it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that the values and principles of La Luz continue. We are blessed to have this experience.

BACK TO NEWSLETTER

 The View: Volume 1, Issue 1

---

about the author: 

Bonnie, Glen & Justin Anderson, 2 Pool Street, since 1993. Photos courtesy the Andersons.